The Tyranny Of Removal: Women Writing Through Grief

Abstract

This thesis presents an excerpt from the author's memoir "The Tyranny of Removal." An introduction to the excerpt examines Joan Didion's influential work, The Year of Magical Thinking, as an example of grief writing that is a vital part of a writer's recovery from loss. The thesis investigates how writing serves as solace, remembrance, survival technique, and restorative practice during the grieving process. It considers the notion of magical thinking in mourning a loved one and rebuilding a life. "The Tyranny of Removal" chronicles the story of a marriage, an addiction that ends in suicide, and the reconstitution of a woman as an independent but deeply changed entity. The memoir seeks to present writing that confronts the struggle to understand that which is elusive and painful with direct language and courage.